Last night’s dinner with Peter had shaken me to my core.

I knew I needed to do something, to fight back, so I made a call that I never thought I’d ever have to do, something that might hurt the people I care about but that would, in the end, protect them.

I’d made a decision—I needed to pull the attention away from the club, get all the information I could before going to them and pleading my case.

First, I needed to have all my bases covered, nothing could go wrong.

It had been a long day. I’d worked at the shop, I’d gone to appointments, and my brain was fried. Now here I was, I’d been standing inside my bedroom for at least twenty minutes, staring around aimlessly, wondering what the hell I’d come in here for in the first place.

“Pull yourself together, woman,” I growled under my breath as I abandoned my mission and moved down the hallway and into the living room.

“I dunno…” The voice startled me, and I whipped my head toward the doorway, my hair flying around me as I tried to focus on the man who I’d been pining over for months, who was suddenly standing in my house. “I kinda like it when you fall apart, but only when it’s in my hands.”

I hauled in a heavy breath as I took him in. His cap was pulled backward on his head, he had his arms folded across his chest, making my mouth water as he leaned against the wall just inside my front door. A tight black T-shirt hugged his body, and with his club cut on over the top, he was the epitome of every bad ass you shouldn’t fuck with.

He took a step into the room and I shuffled on my feet. “What are you doing here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I gotta have a reason to come by now?”

After months of sneaking around and getting to know each other, mind, body and soul, going cold turkey and not seeing him for weeks had been one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. There was just something between us that neither of us could deny. We enjoyed each other’s company. He made me smile and laugh on days where I struggled to get out of bed. And the way he was with Harlyn, God if it didn’t melt my heart and also my panties at the same time.

I squared my shoulders, standing my ground. “Well, since last time you were here you called me a selfish bitch and a horrible mother, I figured you might at least knock on the front door if you decided to come back.” The animosity in my tone didn’t go unnoticed, but it took a lot to throw a man like Wrench off his game.

“I said that did I?” he said, his face sinking with regret before walking over and placing himself so close to me that I couldn’t help but inhale his scent. It wasn’t what you expected from a biker—motor oil and leather were the usual. Wrench always smelled like expensive cologne, the type I knew well growing up around snobby businessmen and rich kids who honestly smelled like they bathed in it instead of water.

His was subtle though, enough to pull you in and want more but not enough to disrupt all your senses. Which I was glad because when I was around Wrench, I wanted to use every single one of them.

“Yeah, you said that,” I shot back, forcing a frown on my face and hooking my fingers into the belt loops of my jeans so I wouldn’t reach out for him.

He, on the other hand, had no qualms about taking what he wanted when he wanted it. “I’m sorry.” He reached out, plucking a few strands of hair from where they hung loosely around my face and twisted it in his fingers. “You went dark,” he commented, studying it closely.

A shiver ran up my spine and I lifted my chin. “I needed a change.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, the change was something I needed and had done on a whim last night after a two a.m. trip to the store, but probably not for any reason he could come up with. Peter hated my hair dark. My natural color being a mixture of brown and red. He always told me that when it was darker, it made me look hard and unapproachable, that I wasn’t sophisticated enough.

So that was the look I was going for—unsophisticated, unattractive, unworthy.

If I was going to play my part in his game, I wanted to seem unappealing and almost disgusting to him. I didn’t want him to want me.

 “Why are you here, Wrench?” I finally found the courage to ask, despite the fact that his touch, even on a few measly strands of hair, was driving me absolutely crazy.

He took off his cap with his free hand, exposing his messy blond hair that I knew he hated. He tossed it across the room, and I followed it as it hit the wall and fell to the ground. With the distraction, he took the opportunity, dipping his head and pressing his lips to my neck, his body coming flush with mine. I stumbled, but he caught me, his hands pressing against my back and holding me against him.

His tongue snaked out, licking at the skin beneath my ear and forcing an airy gasp from my lips. “I’m here because we both know it’s what we want. And I for one, am sick of fucking fighting it.”

“Wrench,” I whispered, licking my lips, my mouth completely dry.

“Tell me to leave,” he taunted, his mouth grazing my neck as he trailed it lower and lower. “Tell me to leave right now, and I’ll walk out and swear to fucking God… I will not come back.”

I wanted to tell him just that, I tried to form my mouth to say the words, knowing that he would follow through, knowing that he wasn’t one to speak empty threats.

But I couldn’t.

He was right, and for the life of me, I couldn’t deny that fact. Wrench made me feel alive, with every touch or brush against my skin it electrified me and took away the numbness that had settled over my body.

That’s all I wanted. To feel something. Anything.

I didn’t want to be numb anymore.

He gave me more than that, he gave me excitement and laughter, and for those few moments that he was with me, it was as though I could release my worries and feel safe in his arms.

His hands moved down over the curve of my ass, his fingers tickling just underneath. “You’ve got five seconds,” he warned, pressing his forehead to mine. “One…”

I licked my lips, finally throwing a ‘fuck it’ to the wind and pressed my hands against his lower abdomen. His muscles clenched under my touch and it sent a spark of power through me, knowing he was just as affected as I was.

“Two…” he growled through clenched teeth.

His eyes burned into mine and I could feel his hot breath on my lips. I needed this, I needed him. I was done pushing everything aside out of fear. Maybe it was selfish, after everything I’d done and put Harlyn and Optimus through, that I would take this one thing for myself.

 “Th—”

“Five,” I snapped, refusing to think any longer, pushing forward and pressing my lips against his. He was ready for me, catching me in his arms and lifting me off the ground. He carried me just a few steps and turned us. My back thumped against the wall. I gasped, and he used the moment of weakness, his tongue diving inside my mouth.

I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care. I just wanted him, surrounding me, sucking the air from my lungs, stealing my soul with one kiss. My arms hooked around his neck, I held him close as his hips pinned me against the wall, holding my body up, grinding against me. His hands palmed my ass, his fingers digging in so hard that I could already tell in the morning I would have bruises as proof of this night.

I was scared to death of my feelings for Wrench, frightened how he could destroy me if he walked away… again. I’d fought so hard over these past few weeks to get my mind back to a place where I could think straight, and where I could stand on my own two feet.

I still wasn’t quite there and I worried this would undo all the work I’d done and take me right back to that place. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Wrench gave me strength that I couldn’t deny, and right now, strength was what I needed in order to fight back and get my life returned to normal. Well, as normal as my life could ever be.

Wrench pulled away and I gasped, sucking in air to my starved lungs. “No more fucking running away. Whatever you’ve got going, I want to be there with you,” he said, his breathing heavy and his eyes staring straight into mine like he could see inside my soul.

I guess maybe he could.

Wrench had seen me break down, he’d seen me struggle with the difference between reality and the lies my mind told itself.

“It’s not that easy,” I whispered, twisting my fingers in his hair and giving it a sharp tug. He groaned but didn’t let up.

“Let me in,” he pleaded. “I’m not promising I’ll fix you, but I’m promising to stand beside you and accept you. The real you… the you that you try to hide.”

My heart raced, thundering inside my chest like it might at any moment just give out.

He didn’t want to fix me.

How long had it been since I’d heard those words?

Never.

They all wanted to fix me. They all thought I was broken.

I thought I was broken.

I slammed my mouth back down onto his, not knowing any other way to express how I was feeling in that moment. He pressed back, with just as much emotion and passion. I held tight as he moved us again, this time to the kitchen table, setting me on the edge as we untangled ourselves from one another. Feverishly, he tugged at my jeans, so I laid back, lifting my hips off the table as he finally got them free and pulled them down my legs. He bent over my body and lifted my shirt, pressing soft feathery kisses to my stomach.

“How sturdy is this table?” he asked, a cheeky tone to his voice.

“I’m not sure,” I answered with a shudder. “I’ve never had sex on it before.”

He chuckled as his tongue snaked out and circled my belly button. “First for everything.”

I had a feeling he was going to be a lot of firsts. He pulled back, making quick work of his clothes which went flying in all directions. A shirt landing in the kitchen, his club cut tossed across and onto the couch and his pants somehow flinging across the room and knocking over one of my lamps.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re destroying my living room.”

He grinned at me as he tore open a condom that he’d fished out of God knows where within the chaos, and tossed that across the room too. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna be destroying something else in a few seconds.” My mouth fell open in shock, and he groaned. “Close it, sugar plum, before I fill it up.”

I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth as he reached for my panties. The coolness of the wooden table sent a shiver up my spine and my whole body trembled. He reached for my shirt next, moving quickly and swiftly as though he was struggling to keep his composure.

With both my shirt and sports bra tugged over my head, I suddenly felt so bare. My instant reaction was to cover myself, but he caught my hands before they could reach for my breasts. Cupping my wrists in one of his large hands, he leaned over me and pressed them to the table above my head. I twisted them, testing the strength of his hold, but I couldn’t escape. He held me tightly enough to restrict any movement, but not so tight that it hurt.

“This isn’t fair,” I protested—just barely because I was so fucking turned on—his mouth hovering above mine as he held me in place.

His eyes sparkled. “You’re right.” He let me go and sauntered over to his jeans where they lay in a pile with my lamp. I watched as he walked with so much fucking confidence and swagger that it should be illegal. His muscles clenching tightly as he moved and his tattoos on proud display. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t notice that he was holding something in his hands until he snapped it together and made me jump.

His belt.

My eyes widened as I watched him twirl it around before settling himself back in between my legs, his hard condom covered cock bouncing around with his movement.

“Wrench…” I warned, unsure of exactly what to think of this new addition.

“You trust me?” he asked, wrapping the belt around his hand and then unwinding it again.

I wiggled uncomfortably, not because it made me nervous, though, but because I found myself getting rather excited. I nodded. “Yes, I trust you.”

His eyes burned with appreciation. “Give me your hands,” he ordered.

Slowly I held my hands out in front of me, surrendering myself to him.

Trusting him.

He wrapped the belt around my wrists as tightly as was still comfortable and did up the buckle. Then he slid his hand down the rest and wrapped it around his hand. I pulled on the restraints and he tugged back, hard enough to make me gasp. A smirk touched his lips, and with his free hand he grasped his cock, running up and down it a few times as I watched between my spread legs. My hips wiggled of their own accord, wanting to get closer, but with my ass already sitting at the edge of the table I couldn’t get to him, and he knew it.

I frowned in annoyance and he chuckled lightly. “Needy.”

I tugged again with my hands, and in response he wrenched them over my head, pressing them to the table again as he leaned over me. His lips brushed against my cheek and his hard body pinned me to the table. I jerked when the head of his cock brushed against my clit. The first time it could have been accidental, but then as it continued over and over again, driving me fucking crazy I knew it was him torturing me.

I lifted my hips, grinding against him as he swiped up and down then dipped just inside me.

It wasn’t enough to ease any of the tension I was feeling so I growled in agitation.

“You gonna behave now and not be so grumpy?” he asked, his breath tickling my ear.

“Yes,” I replied instantly, biting my lip to keep from moaning as he rewarded me by sinking all the way inside me. It didn’t last long though as he settled there, but instead of pulling out again, he moved his hips, pressing his cock in different directions, stretching me. “Damn it,” I cursed softly.

“Fuck,” he groaned, pulling out and thrusting back in, harder this time. Once the momentum started, I knew it was going to be hard for him to stop. His teeth attacked my neck, one small bite after another he trailed them down to my collar bone.

I linked my fingers together, squeezing them tightly as his tongue found my nipple, swirling and flicking it as harsh breaths escaped his nose. Even as he rose off me, I held my hands in place, exposing my body to his lust filled gaze, as he grabbed my thighs in his hands and his hips pumped harder.

My back arched off the table, which was already slightly slick with my sweat, the build up to something amazing heating my body, electrifying it to a point where I thought actual sparks may start to fly around us. His eyes held mine, they were so intense, so filled with emotions that I’d never seen inside a man before—not one who looked at me. It was like he wanted to consume me like he wanted to own me. If that’s what he wanted, I’d so happily hand over the keys to my heart because this man wasn’t like any others I’d ever met. He was sexy, smart and patient. He held himself with strength but never looked down on anyone, never made himself out to be anything other than he was.

What we had between us was genuine, it was real. There was a connection that I wasn’t even sure I understood, but just knew in my soul that it was there.

I moaned loudly, the slap of our skin against each other was in a perfect rhythm. “Wrench please,” I groaned, trying to hold my body in place as the power of his thrusts became harder and started to move me backward across the table.

No, I needed to be closer to him. I could feel the build beginning inside me and I needed it so badly. I wrapped my legs around his waist, anchoring myself to him and forcing him deeper.

“That’s it, take what you need,” he growled as his hand dipped between my legs and his thumb rubbed at my swollen clit.

“Shit!” I cried out as the world around me shattered into pieces. I felt like I was falling, but there was no use, I had nothing to grab hold of. My body exploded, and I screamed out his name as the waves of my orgasm rolled over and over. It was so intense, so fucking strong that I wondered whether they would ever stop.

“Fuck!” he cursed. “You’re squeezing the life out of me.” He grabbed the belt and pulled my body up. Slipping his head through the space in his arms, he positioned me at the edge of the table, my shuddering body held there by him.

The new angle had me tossing my head back, his cock now pressing upward as he altered his stance and angle. I couldn’t hold on, my arms linked around his neck becoming numb and my hair trailing down my back, tickling my slick skin. His body moved against mine vigorously, his chest brushing against my hard and sensitive nipples.

I exploded again, this time, dragging him with me off the side of the cliff as my pussy spasmed tightly around his cock. I somehow managed to grip some of his hair in my captive hands and tugged at it hard, drawing his head back.

“So. Fucking. Perfect,” he groaned with each jerky thrust as he emptied himself. His hands moved over my body, up my sides, over my breasts, and down my back.

“Goddamn it,” I said breathlessly as I finally looked up and met his eyes again. His body pressed against mine, his brow pulled together as if he was having trouble standing. It really was perfect. I didn’t want to move. I could have sat there forever, the both of us simply lost in an orgasmic state like nothing else in life mattered.

Eventually, his eyes came into focus and his hand came up to cup my face. “You are so fucking beautiful. I could watch you come over and over again.”

I licked my lips and grinned. “If every time is like that, you may just get your wish.”